BNP men with no experience got contract of beautification of Chattogram city

Md Iftekhar Uddin, Joint Convener of the Chattogram city Swechchhasebak Dal, had no prior experience in beautification projects. Still, he is set to receive a contract for beautification work in the North Kattali ward under the Chattogram City Corporation.

He is among at least 32 individuals affiliated with the BNP, Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal who have secured similar contracts despite having no prior experience — allegedly based solely on their political affiliation.

BNP leaders and city corporation officials confirmed the political identity of those being awarded the work.

The City Corporation finalised contracts for beautification work in 11 wards, awarding them to 40 companies and individuals — all reportedly close to City Mayor Shahadat Hossain. Allegations suggest that during project interviews, experienced or neutral applicants were denied participation in favor of party loyalists.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Iftekhar Uddin admitted he had never worked on beautification projects before, but claimed his documents were correct, which helped him get selected.

According to City Corporation sources, out of Chattogram’s 41 wards, no proposals were submitted in 10. In the remaining 31 wards, a total of 257 proposals were received. By the first week of July, 40 organisations had been selected across 11 wards. The final list for the remaining 18 wards will be confirmed once Mayor Shahadat returns from Canada.

Shahadat Hossain, the former convener of Chattogram BNP, assumed office as mayor on 3 November last year after a court ruling. He canceled all beautification contracts awarded under the previous mayor and administrators. On 16 December, 2024, the corporation published an open call for proposals in newspapers, stating that experienced firms would be prioritised. However, in practice, that policy has not been reflected.

This is not the first time politicisation has affected beautification work of Chattogram City Corporation. During the tenure of the previous Awami League-backed mayors, similar favoritism was shown to leaders and activists of the ruling party’s student and youth fronts.

An official of the city corporation said that under these beautification contracts, companies would invest their own funds to build passenger sheds, street lighting, gardens in open spaces, greenery on road dividers, and monuments.

In return, they are allowed to set up small shops or advertise in those areas. Depending on the location and project size, these contracts can yield monthly incomes of Tk 50,000 to Tk 500,000 — though the corporation is entitled to a portion of the revenue.

The highest number of applications came from Shulkabahar ward, with 14 people awarded contracts out of 43. Among them are Chattogram Chhatra Dal joint conveners Zahed Hossain Khan and Shahidul Islam, former Jubo Dal joint convener of Khulshi thana Ramzan Ali, former city BNP member Md Zakir Hossain, former Shulkabahar ward Jubo Dal convener Sadek Ahmed, and Jubo Dal member Golam Yazdani. The remaining eight recipients are also BNP activists or supporters.

Md Zakir Hossain told Prothom Alo, “I submitted my proposal along with designs made by an architect. The City Corporation evaluated them and awarded me the job based on that."

In Jalalabad ward, contracts went to former city Swecchasebak Dal leader Mujibur Rahman, Chhatra Dal activist Md Giyas Uddin, and BNP-affiliated individuals Salamat Aleem, Md Zakir Hossain, and Md Sakhawat Hossain.
In Mohora ward, the job went to Jubo Dal activist Md Rashed Alam. In East Sholoshohor, contracts were awarded to Jubo Dal’s Md Ayub Ahmed and Abdur Rob. In West Sholoshohor, BNP’s Md Hasan Monsur received the work.

In North Pahartali, Jubo Dal’s former city unit vice-president Didarul Ferdous and Jubo Dal leader Md Nur Hossain got the contracts. In North Kattali, former Jubo Dal publicity secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain and ex-leader Khurshid Alam were selected.

Others awarded contracts include Mizanur Rahman (South Kattali), Didarul Ferdous (Soraipara), BNP joint convener Md Shah Alam (Lalkhan Bazar), and city BNP member Jahangir Alam (Pahartali).

Mayor Shahadat Hossain is currently in Canada on a personal trip. Attempts to contact him via WhatsApp were unsuccessful. Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Mohammad Touhidul Islam also declined to comment. However, in January, Mayor Shahadat had told Prothom Alo that contracts would be awarded based on merit and experience, not political identity.

Akhtar Kabir Chowdhury, Chattogram chapter secretary of the civil society platform Citizens for Good Governance (Sujon), told Prothom Alo, “The current mayor is doing exactly what his predecessors did — awarding jobs to loyalists through irregularities and nepotism. Under the guise of beautification, the actual game is profit-sharing.”